Balanta Lullaby
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Balanta Lullaby Lyrics. An original lullaby inspired by the Balanta people of mainland Guinea-Bissau, skilled rice farmers of the mangrove swamps. The Balanta engineer bolanha, elaborate tidal rice paddies built and maintained through generations of collective labor to manage the ebb and flow of the mangrove swamps, and their traditionally decentralized society, without strong hereditary chiefs, helped them resist outside control for centuries longer than many neighboring groups. Here you will find the lyrics, meaning, and chords.
Lyrics & chords
An original arrangement, with guitar & piano chords above each line.
Verse
What the words mean
Chords — guitar & piano
What “Balanta Lullaby” Means
The Balanta people of mainland Guinea-Bissau are skilled rice farmers, engineering elaborate mangrove-swamp paddies that have fed their communities for generations. This original lullaby draws on those rice-paddy and mangrove images of Balanta farming life.
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